Origins Of The Sport And The Battle For Integration Essay

The Negro Leagues were one of the most important and influential movements to happen in baseball history. Without these ‘Invisible Men’, who knows where baseball’s racial standpoint with not only African American’s, but others such as Cuban, Dominican, and South American players, would be in the Major Leagues. Throughout the book, one pressing theme stays from beginning to end: Segregation.

Sports in a society bring people together and help aid in people making friendships or gaining respect for each other. Baseball isn’t a traditional game that minorities play in and possibly one of the most well-known sports for segregation with the Negro League being formed for African Americans before they integrated. Whites were perceived as the better baseball players so African American and minority baseball players weren’t allowed to play with them (Jiobu, 1988). African American baseball players weren’t worse baseball players and actually had better stats and success in the Negro League. Some even believed they were worse players because they were told so by the white people who were seen as the smarter race even though the numbers said

According to a passage in the 19th Century Baseball website, author Eric Miklich writes that America’s pastime may have originated in Canada. Miklich tells the story of Dr. Adam E. Ford who wrote a letter about a game which had been played in 1838 which was described to have several key differences than baseball. Many people believe that baseball evolved from games played in England- mainly cricket and rounders. Others believe the German game of town ball is where it all started. October 6, 1845 was the first baseball game on record. One of the teams playing that day were the New York Knickerbockers. The Knickerbockers, led by “The Father of Baseball” Alexander Cartwright, are known today as the first official baseball team. Cartwright published the original rules of baseball (Miklich). Throughout the years, baseball has seen it’s fair share of great players and managers while evolving into the sport we know and love today, but not without controversy.

Like the bald eagle, baseball has become an icon for the term “American”. It was the nation’s first major sport and quickly was coined America’s pastime. It was created from a combination of other games during the 1840’s and became increasingly popular during the years of the Civil War (Brinkley 392). In their

In this essay we will take a look at the unique history of the Negro Baseball Leagues. We will discuss how they were an integral part of the African American culture and what they meant to their communities. We will also discuss some of the more famous players of the Negro Leagues as well as take a look at what the impact of Jackie Robinson being the first African American to be signed to a professional Major League team was and how it affected the future of baseball.

The history of baseball can be traced back to the early 19th century when people played a baseball-like game with their own rules and homemade equipment. The earliest known mention of baseball in the United States was in 1791 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. An ordinance was declared that banned the playing of the game within 80 yards of the town meeting house. Even though baseball was mentioned back in 1791 it wasn't officially a sport until 1839 when a man named Abner Doubleday invented the game we know and love today as baseball in Cooperstown, New York.

When the topic of baseball comes up in a conversation, what do you think of? The field, a bat, the ball, or amazing plays, crucial games, and game winning performances. What about American history? Does World War II come to mind; most likely not. According to an article called “Food for Thought: Baseball and American History,” John P. Rossi quotes Jacques Barzun saying, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” Negro League Baseball can be used to shed light on the historical experience of African American’s in the United States.

Baseball originates back to 1800s, from a man named Abner Doubleday, who was a Union Officer during the American Civil War. Some say he invented the game in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. There’s limited amount of information and facts on Doubleday being the original creator of the game. A more accurate response to the question of how baseball originates would be that many scholars believe that baseball was invented way before we can tell. In ancient cultures, such as those of the Persians and Egyptians, there is evidence of games being played with balls and sticks. Games similar to baseball continued to be played by civilizations throughout history but it was not until the early 1600s that Europeans first brought games involving a ball and a stick to the Americas. There were a number of various games played with a ball and a stick but the one that most resembled baseball was an English game called Rounders. The rules of Rounders are a lot simpler than the ones of modern day baseball but it was from

Like any other sport, baseball developed over an extended period of time spanning way back to the 1600’s. The first evidence

The sport is such an integral part of our culture today that we Americans sometimes take for granted its significance in our everyday lives. Contemporary baseball is so closely related with American ideals and identity that it often has served as an expression of patriotism. In times of national hardships, baseball has been used to encourage and rally the nation. In speaking of the emergence of America's nationalism in the historic and contemporary playing field, there are several key issues that surface. Of these issues I will specifically address the long residuals of how baseball has helped to establish our (Americans) national spirit and identity. That is the links between our heritage and national institutions and the game of baseball as a cultural and political representative abroad and unifying tradition at home. I will also address ideals and injustices. That is how baseball's acceptability has changed over time, and how this acts as a microcosm for America's changing attitudes about equality and opportunity.

For over one hundred years, Americans young and old have enjoyed the sport of baseball. Some are actively and some leisurely. No matter which role the person has, he or she enjoys America’s favorite pastime, baseball, but is it originally an American sport? Over the many years that the sport has existed, there has been a variety of theories. The origin of baseball is unclear because some believe it began in England, others claim Abner Doubleday originated the sport, and a third faction claims it evolved in New York.

The Negro Leagues, baseball leagues for merely black players, allowed urban communities to “pass down the tradition of ‘their’ game 25.” As the Negro leagues ended, baseball’s popularity diminished because it no longer acted as a unique and individualized aspect of African-American culture. The Negro Leagues and the black baseball movement inspired hope as a part of the larger civil rights movement of the 20th century and the black community utilized baseball “as a means of collective identity and civic pride 26.” African- American’s racial advances in baseball signaled the long term success of the larger civil rights movement of the 20th century. As a result, baseball became essential in identifying the progress and identity of African-American culture. Baseball lost its social prevalence after the African-American civil rights movement due to the emergence of other

“It could be. . .it might be. . .it is, a home run!” Harry Carey’s voice rings through the lively stadium, and adrenalized homes. There’s screaming from pure joy, infectious happiness seeping into everyone’s bones, hugs from strangers and high fives from closest friends -- your team did it! They won. Baseball -- a timeless American sport -- has struck it’s way into the hearts of many people with just the crack of a bat, ever since Abner Doubleday invented it in Cooperstown, New York 1839. Rapidly it became one of America’s most beloved, venerated past times. From its exterior, baseball seems like a simple enough sport. There’s a pitcher, a batter, and a cork-centered ball; the pitcher throws, the batter hits, and if he counts his blessings, he avoids the opposite team and runs through the bases. That being said, why do we love this sport so much? Baseball has such a positive effect on our society because at its core baseball has provided a unity between citizens, offered an outlet during difficult times, and integrated races, breaking barriers never seen before -- and it still does.

Another avenue that can be discussed in the sport that is being managed and why it may be harder for minorities to take over. A look in Major League Baseball, shows that baseball is America’s pastime. With the sport being a white dominated sport by leadership, it’s harder for minorities to integrate into leadership roles. Sack, Singh & Thiel (2005) suggests, there is reason to believe that positional segregation by race and ethnicity, or stacking, does have an indirect, disparate negative impact on minorities. There are patterns of segregation in the sport of baseball and it continues since everyone that is brought into the professional baseball world are actually playing the sport and not owning the team. . Sack, Singh & Thiel (2005) noted,

Baseball was called the “the national pastime” for the first time in December of 1856, years before the first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, even came into existence in the year 1869. Baseball continued to develop and gain popularity throughout the end of the 19th century. Baseball spread after the Civil War by prisoners of war and soldiers where it was encouraged by officers as a way to pass the time and it allowed soldiers to take their minds off the situation at hand. The soldiers went home and brought their new knowledge with them, spreading the newly popular game to their children. Thus, baseball found its roots and started to grow into its title of “national pastime”.